People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) have significantly lower vitamin D levels in their blood than do healthy individuals, according to a meta-analysis of data from studies covering more than 900 people in Asia. While the findings don’t prove that vitamin D deficiency causes NMOSD, they call attention…

Blood levels of prolactin, a hormone mostly known for its role in milk production, are significantly elevated in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) as compared with healthy adults, a study found. Among NMOSD patients, these high prolactin levels were significantly associated with active disease, sensory-related symptoms, and…

Levels of double-stranded DNA — dubbed dsDNA — are elevated in the fluid around the brain and spinal cord of people with severe neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a small study suggests. These levels, which indicate cellular damage, may trigger more inflammation in NMOSD patients, potentially contributing to the…

Inflammatory episodes in the spinal cord of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) resulted in changes in functional connectivity in the brain, an imaging study shows. Functional connectivity refers to the correlation between brain signals over time that reflects functional connections between two or more brain regions. Reduced…

If you’ve been around the medical community long enough, you’ve likely heard the term “gut health.” But what exactly does that mean, and how does one create an optimal internal balance? Good gut health, generally speaking, is having the right balance of good bacteria and other microbes in the…

Authorities in China have granted IASO Biotherapeutics the go-ahead to begin clinical testing of the experimental CAR T-cell therapy equecabtagene autoleucel in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), IASO announced. NMOSD is an autoimmune disorder wherein the body’s immune system launches an inflammatory attack that damages parts…

Astrocytes, star-shaped cells found around nerve cells, make an inflammation driver of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) called interleukin-6 (IL-6) in part by gearing up a chain of reactions involving nuclear factor kappa B, or NF-kappaB, according to a study in rat cells. Researchers also observed that by blocking…

It rained the day before and after, but on the day we buried Dad, the overcast weather parted for a picturesque blue sky, complete with rolling white clouds. For mid-April, it could’ve been a cold, miserable day, matching our mood. Instead, the sun warmed us, so we didn’t need…

A system that stages neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) based on damage to astrocytes — the specific brain cells that are attacked in NMOSD — was recently developed by a team of researchers in Japan. While more work is needed, the system identifies four stages, largely based on astrocytopathy…

In most people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) coordinate a complex series of immune activities that drive the disease. Better understanding of these disease-causing mechanisms may help in efforts to find new treatments for NMOSD patients. These mechanisms were explained in the lecture, “…